What Villains Do You Like More Than Their Hero Counterparts? (Blog)

While many may disagree, I thought that one of the more surprisingly enjoyable movies from last year was F. Gary Gray’s Law Abiding Citizen. It served as a safe yet cinematically violent way to vent over a sometimes corrupt legal system and to allow a parent like myself to vicariously seek revenge to those who will harm families. However, the set-up was so well done in making Gerard Butler’s character sympathetic that I really identified with him more than anyone else in the film. Unfortunately, for the film, we had to put Jamie Foxx in the position of being the hero to save the day, and his triumph over Butler’s tortured father character seemed a bit sad.

I’m not advocating the incineration of City Hall, or exploding a sexy lawyer as hot as Leslie Bibb. But I’m also not advocating Jamie Foxx having the ability to out-smart Gerard Butler. Of course, the biggest tragedy of this film is that it was followed up with Butler starring opposite Jennifer Aniston in The Bounty Hunter. Now that is a form of terrorism if I ever saw one.